It's funny how much the curriculum, and assessment strategies change over only 10 years. Ten years ago I was sitting in my grade 7 class, probably having a spelling test, and being exhausted from the 50 questions assigned last night as homework. All the studies are now showing that homework actually has no relation to how a student learns, but I think that more studies need to be conducted before they reach this result. I'm not sure if it's my learning style, or just the way I have been programed to learn over the years, but homework is the only way I do learn! I need to physically be doing something over and over until it is ingrained into my memory. I have to say though, as a teacher, I'm not sure I would dismiss homework all together. I personally like homework. It also gives parents a chance to see exactly what their child is working on, and if they are having problems. I think that students need a variety of homework like kill and drill, a challenge question, projects, art, etc. Switching it up might make it easier for the student to do homework, since they know it wont be like this everyday. I also really like the idea of having a 'secret' assessment. The idea of this would be to assess students when they don't think they are being assessed. For example, when a student comes to your desk for help, instead of them asking all the questions, have the teacher ask some back to see how the student is grasping the material.
On another note, this year seems to be flying by! We are already going back into placement, and we are being expected to teach 25-50 percent. This is a lot in a classroom that isn't my own, and it's making me a little nervous. It's hard to teach in a classroom that already has someone's rules and teaching methods in place. It is a tricky position, but I am lucky that my AT has very similar ideas of how a classroom should be run. I'm excited and scared at the same time, but I think this is a good thing :)
Assessment Strategies
It's funny how much the curriculum, and assessment strategies change over only 10 years. Ten years ago I was sitting in my grade 7 class, probably having a spelling test, and being exhausted from the 50 questions assigned last night as homework. All the studies are now showing that homework actually has no relation to how a student learns, but I think that more studies need to be conducted before they reach this result. I'm not sure if it's my learning style, or just the way I have been programed to learn over the years, but homework is the only way I do learn! I need to physically be doing something over and over until it is ingrained into my memory. I have to say though, as a teacher, I'm not sure I would dismiss homework all together. I personally like homework. It also gives parents a chance to see exactly what their child is working on, and if they are having problems. I think that students need a variety of homework like kill and drill, a challenge question, projects, art, etc. Switching it up might make it easier for the student to do homework, since they know it wont be like this everyday. I also really like the idea of having a 'secret' assessment. The idea of this would be to assess students when they don't think they are being assessed. For example, when a student comes to your desk for help, instead of them asking all the questions, have the teacher ask some back to see how the student is grasping the material.
On another note, this year seems to be flying by! We are already going back into placement, and we are being expected to teach 25-50 percent. This is a lot in a classroom that isn't my own, and it's making me a little nervous. It's hard to teach in a classroom that already has someone's rules and teaching methods in place. It is a tricky position, but I am lucky that my AT has very similar ideas of how a classroom should be run. I'm excited and scared at the same time, but I think this is a good thing :)
Heather